Rice Cultivation: Lagos To Acquire Farmland

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has disclosed that the State Government is in the process of acquiring an estimated 32,000 hectares of farmland for rice cultivation in seven states.

Sanwo-Olu, who made the disclosure on Wednesday on the occasion of this year’s Grand Finale of the World Food Day celebration in Lagos listed the states as Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Kebbi as well as Lagos.

He said that a key component in the food security programme of the State government was the 32 metric tons per hour capacity Integrated Rice Mill in Imota which is expected to be completed and commissioned in the next seven months.

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The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folasade Jaji stated that when completed, the mill would ensure sustainable supply of wholesome rice at an affordable price to the populace in Lagos and help to reduce rice importation into the Nigerian economy.

He said that the theme for this year’s celebration, “Our Actions Our Future: Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World” spoke to the need for a collective action towards not only increasing food production but also ensuring that adequate attention was paid to the quality of food being consumed adding that the theme aptly highlights the state government’s efforts through the food security initiative and commitment to prevent the consumption of unwholesome food.

“Today, we are happy to join the rest of the World in celebrating this year’s World Food Day. This annual celebration being spearheaded by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, is about raising awareness on issues related to food such as poverty and hunger and to highlight efforts being made by Governments, Institutions, Organizations and individuals to mitigate the negative effects on people,” Sanwo-Olu averred.

The governor said that the only way to effectively fight poverty and hunger in the country was to boost agricultural production and prevent post-harvest losses and wastage which he noted constitute a major threat to the achievement of food security objectives.

While noting that the use of Reusable Plastic Creates [RPCs] as alternative to Raffia baskets for the carriage of perishable farm produce was being promoted as a strategy to minimize wastage in the State, the governor enjoined farmers and traders in the State to embrace this new initiative for improved profit.